A Court Affair. Emily Purdy
Читать онлайн.| Название | A Court Affair |
|---|---|
| Автор произведения | Emily Purdy |
| Жанр | Историческая литература |
| Серия | |
| Издательство | Историческая литература |
| Год выпуска | 0 |
| isbn | 9780007459001 |
A COURT
AFFAIR
EMILY PURDY
Carnal marriages begin in joy but end in sorrow.
—Sir William Cecil commenting on the marriage of Robert Dudley and Amy Robsart
Table of Contents
Amy Robsart Dudley and Queen Elizabeth I
Amy Robsart Dudley
and
Queen Elizabeth I
I used to think of her. She used to think of me.
PROLOGUE
Elizabeth
The Church of Our Lady in Oxford
Sunday, September 22, 1560
I told Kat to fetch a chair and be my dragon, to sit outside my bedchamber door and guard my lair after I was gone.
“Let no man or woman cross my threshold and enter here. Say I have a black and red beast of a headache, and any who dare disturb my rest do so at their own peril,” I instructed as, one by one, the regal layers of pearl-and-jewel-encrusted, gold-embroidered, white-brocaded satin tumbled to the floor, followed by the cumbersome farthingale, stays as stiff as armour, rustling layers of starched petticoats, bejewelled ribbon garters, and the silk stockings Robert bought me, specially ordered from Spain by the score—twenty pairs at a time, in a typically extravagant gesture—and, lastly, like a bridal veil, a shift of cobweb lawn thin enough to read a book through if the light were good and the ink black enough.
With all my court finery pooled around my naked feet, the jewels on my discarded gown seeming to float like ruby red and sapphire blue flowers upon a froth of rich cream, I stood straight and breathed deeply, stretching my arms high above my head. If Robert had seen me thus, he would no doubt have compared me to Aphrodite emerging newborn and naked from the surf. But I could not think about that now; I could not think about Robert. I took another deep breath before stepping out of the rich, luxurious fabric froth and trading